Since I despised the first Jack Reacher novel Killing Floor you may be wondering why I read this second entry in this series. It’s all Tom Cruise’s fault.

Yeah, I know the Reacher fans were generally unhappy with Tiny Tom being cast as their hero who is supposed to be 6’5”, but I actually enjoyed the movie adaptation Jack Reacher quite a bit. Believe it or not a big chunk of the credit goes to Cruise who managed to convey the cocky arrogance needed while making it entertaining instead of over theSince I despised the first Jack Reacher novel Killing Floor you may be wondering why I read this second entry in this series. It’s all Tom Cruise’s fault.

Yeah, I know the Reacher fans were generally unhappy with Tiny Tom being cast as their hero who is supposed to be 6’5”, but I actually enjoyed the movie adaptation Jack Reacher quite a bit. Believe it or not a big chunk of the credit goes to Cruise who managed to convey the cocky arrogance needed while making it entertaining instead of over the top.* Plus, several people whose book judgment I trust have told me that the series got better over time so I figured I’d give Lee Child another shot. Besides, it could be another opportunity for me to be trolled by the hardcore Reacher fans, and who can resist that?

Jack Reacher is a former military policemen who is the baddest bad-ass who has ever bad-assed. Now retired he wanders around the country off the grid while making a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Reacher is walking down a Chicago street when he sees a young woman with an injured leg struggling to deal with her cane and the dry cleaning she just picked up so he tries to help her out. Suddenly armed gunmen show up and force them into a car. Reacher has just gotten swept up into a kidnapping plot that has huge implications for the U.S. government. The cherry on top of that scene is that Reacher thinks that he wouldn't have any problems taking out the gunman one-handed because apparently he doesn't deem the problem worth dropping the dry cleaning he's holding, but he's worried about stray bullets going into a crowd of people behind him so he decides to play along.

I did like this one a lot more than Killing Floor. It helped that Reacher is thrown into a scenario more fitting of an action hero rather than splitting time trying to play detective. Switching from the first person narrative to third person here is also a big improvement s because rather than the main character telling us how awesome he is we get to either see it or have it relayed from an outsider’s perspective.

The plot still seems like something lifted from an action movie and doesn’t bear much scrutiny even though it gets the job done. I was questioning several points like (view spoiler)[how the U.S. president is so concerned with politics that he turns a blind eye to a group of murderous conspiracy nut jobs who have kidnapped the daughter of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I know this was written pre-9/11 shortly after the Ruby Ridge and Waco incidents, but it was also after the Oklahoma City bombing (Which is never mentioned.) so it seems crazily unrealistic to think that the government would just try to ignore these yahoos. (hide spoiler)]

As in the first book at one point Reacher makes an intuitive leap of logic that would make Sherlock Holmes say, “Damn! How’d you pull that out of your ass?” There’s also a sex scene that induces enough eye rolling to cause the reader to make an appointment with their optometrist. (view spoiler)[ Reacher and Holly apparently find being forced to pull the tortured remains of a crucified man off a couple of trees and burying him a tremendous turn-on. (hide spoiler)]

Still, the flaws here are the kinds of things you’d expect from the genre and not the pure stupidity of the first book. That makes me think that maybe this series is worth a read after all.

* I also give writer/director Christopher McQuarrie a lot of the credit for crafting an entertaining action/crime thriller. McQuarrie also had a hand in two crime movies I love. He wrote the screenplay for The Usual Suspects and wrote/directed The Way of the Gun, one of my favorite movies that almost no one has ever heard of.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

So, this time Jack Reacher is captured by some Waco style militia group. They've also captured a, coincidentally beautiful, FBI agent with a sports injury. Together they must escape, trust each other, fall a little bit in love, foil the bad guys, and maybe have a little bit of nookie on the way...

In fact coincidence is the key word in this novel, coincidence and cliché. Frankly there's way too much of them both throughout. The novel wavered between a 2-star and a 3-star for me. On the one hand tSo, this time Jack Reacher is captured by some Waco style militia group. They've also captured a, coincidentally beautiful, FBI agent with a sports injury. Together they must escape, trust each other, fall a little bit in love, foil the bad guys, and maybe have a little bit of nookie on the way...

In fact coincidence is the key word in this novel, coincidence and cliché. Frankly there's way too much of them both throughout. The novel wavered between a 2-star and a 3-star for me. On the one hand the story was good and engaging. I wanted to keep reading to the end. On the other hand, some of the descriptive writing was so heavy handed it was laughable. I'm happy to put this down to second-novel nerves though. Just trying too hard to be better than the first success.

Finally, some of the story devices let it down too. Can anybody (even Jack Reacher) really pick up a sniper rifle they've never shot before and write a letter on a tree trunk several hundred yards away. And would they really want to 'make out' right next to the grave of the guy they just buried – especially as she keeps professing her love for some other chap we don't know about. They didn't ring even close to true....more

Whew. After reading a few pages at a time for a couple of weeks, I finally got sucked into the vortex of Die Trying and lost most of a weekend finishing it. The reason it took me so long to really commit to it was that I was afraid—really afraid—of what might happen next. And yet, of course, I had to find out.

One nice thing about vicarious suspense is that, no matter what may befall the characters, the reader almost always survives.

As usual with books by Lee Child, I learned a great deal about tWhew. After reading a few pages at a time for a couple of weeks, I finally got sucked into the vortex of Die Trying and lost most of a weekend finishing it. The reason it took me so long to really commit to it was that I was afraid—really afraid—of what might happen next. And yet, of course, I had to find out.

One nice thing about vicarious suspense is that, no matter what may befall the characters, the reader almost always survives.

As usual with books by Lee Child, I learned a great deal about things worth knowing that I wouldn't want to experience first hand (in this case, having to do with extreme right-wing militias). Some of those things I knew intellectually, but experiential learning—even from reading fiction—lodges in a completely different part of the brain. I now know a great deal more than I knew without necessarily having learned much in the way of new facts.

This book has a great many characters and subplots, and it seemed as though (uncharacteristically) the author didn't always maintain perfect control of them all. On the other hand, the strength of his writing—pace, description, word choice, etc.—are good enough to compensate for any minor flaws in terms of plot.

I'm very much afraid that Die Trying was the last Jack Reacher book I haven't read. I'll be scrounging through my used book store tomorrow, hoping I'm wrong....more

Die Trying improves on some of my issues with the previous instalment, though there are also some downsides. Which is a good thing, as hopefully those issues will be improved later in the series. I whizzed through this book. I took the father to a game of cricket (please note I'm not a fan... of... very... slow... sports). But it gave me a chance to finish this novel, BOOM.

Jack's just taking a leisurely walk downtown Chicago, an"If you go down to the woods today...you are in for a BIG surprise"

Die Trying improves on some of my issues with the previous instalment, though there are also some downsides. Which is a good thing, as hopefully those issues will be improved later in the series. I whizzed through this book. I took the father to a game of cricket (please note I'm not a fan... of... very... slow... sports). But it gave me a chance to finish this novel, BOOM.

Jack's just taking a leisurely walk downtown Chicago, and happens to be walking into a dry cleaning store (not sure why, but there you go). He bumps into a woman (surprise!) who he later finds out is named Holly. She's just picked up her weekly dry cleaning (handy that), then all of a sudden two guys surround them and are bundled into the back of a van. Four days later, there in Montana and 'guests' of rather a loopy bunch of individuals who believe there is some kind of UN conspiracy to over-throw America (among other... things). We're talking over a hundred people in this little Waco-style nut-house. The whole posit on why there are doing what they're doing was unbelievable. I laughed, good comedy, although unexpected is always welcome.

Holly is a high-flyer in the FBI, up and coming and loved by all her colleagues. The good thing about Holly is she can hold her own. She isn't the traditional damsel in distress. She kicks arse, even with a busted knee. I liked her in the sense she didn't need rescuing, well not as much as Roscoe in the previous novel Killing Floor. So kudos to Lee Child for that, as it seems he must have listened to his reader's after receiving feedback about that novel. McGrath, Brogan and Milosevic begin the hunt for her (there all FBI "FBI FREEZE SUCKER"), but it's slow going for them. McGrath I particularly liked as he came across as a 'older' mould of Jack Reacher. Throw in General Garber, who was Reacher's former commanding office, then it makes for good reading - if a little samey.

Talking about samey - how many times does Lee Child's need to describe in 'second' detail what happens when a firearm is fired. Seriously, it's literally every time a M-16 or a Barreta was fired, BOOM... "Gas chamber, 5000th of a second, sending the bullet to speeds of 2000 mph..." - then next time that weapon is fired, the exact same thing again. Sure it was interesting to read the first time, but rein it in a bit. We get you've down your research on weaponry, which is obviously needed for such a character as Jack, but well.. just *yawn*.

Here is the real problem. I've mentioned this before in another review. Jack Reacher is invincible - he is untouchable. He's been up against no one who can challenge him physically or psychologically. No wounds so far, oh apart from a nick on his wrist from a handcuff. No competition means you know how fights are going to play out. You've a bunch of Southerners who are about as organised as a village meeting in Killing Floor then in this novel, a bunch of deluded revolutionaries who have little or no military training. There's a hundred of them. A hundred for Jack to take down "with a little help from his friends." Beau Borken, the villain and bad guy "que Marvel villain music please." He has brainwashed all these people, all these families. It is said in the novel he is charismatic and a born leader. Personally I found him to be the reverse, a deluded guy with inflated opinions. Welcome to the real world I say! Lee Child's is on to a winner, obviously with Jack Reacher. He is the type of person everyone wants to be; strong, athletic, deceive and a winner with the ladies. Hey, I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but for me it's all a bit one-dimensional - again.

There's no realism here, which is good as it's a piece of fiction right? Wrong, surely Jack Reacher is meant to be living and breathing in a real world. The bullets that propel from guns seem to confirm to physics, hmm *rubs his head*. No one can hit Jack, no one can shoot him. Maybe it's actually a science fiction novel? He is surrounded by a invisible force field? Maybe he was mind probed, hence why is stronger than oak and fights harder than any other man ever born. When it comes to a fight, I've always believed your only as good as the next man put in front of you. This is true to a extent, Reacher can only fight who is put in front of him - much like a boxer. So hopefully the man who invented Jack puts more worthwhile adversaries in front of him to take on.

I've not much else to say really. Good points? Holly is a good point as I've mentioned. The chemistry between Jack and Holly is just about right. Mutual respect and a lot of eye-goggling going on. Not sure on the potential rape scene that went on, made me cringe a little. These type of books, your either going to love or loath them. I'll give anything ago... it's good to have a open mind about fiction, but not erotic fiction - why read it when you can do all that for real, haha. You can't do what Jack does for real, otherwise you'd be a smelly vagrant who will most likely land in jail for murder #1, twenty times over. ...more

I really enjoyed the first Jack Reacher novel, Killing Floor, but this second attempt was utter bilge. From a ridiculous opening set-up, the novel descends into a mixture of adolescent fantasy, incredible happenstance, laughable set pieces and ridiculous plot twists. On the other hand, it says something about Lee Child as a writer in that he very nearly gets away with it, because much as I was groaning at how amateur the whole thing seemed, I kept reading, almost to the end. Almost. I gave up whI really enjoyed the first Jack Reacher novel, Killing Floor, but this second attempt was utter bilge. From a ridiculous opening set-up, the novel descends into a mixture of adolescent fantasy, incredible happenstance, laughable set pieces and ridiculous plot twists. On the other hand, it says something about Lee Child as a writer in that he very nearly gets away with it, because much as I was groaning at how amateur the whole thing seemed, I kept reading, almost to the end. Almost. I gave up when I realised I didn't really care enough about any of it - the characters, the plot, the impending climax where, as in a James Bond movie, everyone will get what they deserve. In fact, Jack Reacher is James Bond, really, and even by book two I know what I'm going to get with this series. Jack will get the baddie, make love to the beautiful woman he's been thrown together with and pay scant respect to any authorities who happen to get in his way of delivering justice. I won't give up with Lee Child and the Reacher series, unless the next one I read is as bad a stinker as this, because there is no doubt the man can write thrillers. He even managed to shoe horn a reference to Aston Villa in this one, reflecting his Brummie roots, but it wasn't enough to redeem what I think must have been one of his very first attempts at getting published, rejected until he hit one out the park with The Killing Floor....more

In this, his second outing, ex-Army Major Jack Reacher is minding his own business, walking past a dry cleaning shop in Chicago, when an attractive young woman emerges from the shop with nine bags of expensive clothes, a bad knee, and a crutch. She drops the crutch and Reacher jumps to her assistance. In the same moment, two armed kidnappers materialize and order Reacher and the woman into a waiting car.

As any crime fiction reader understands by now, Reacher could take these two thugs with no prIn this, his second outing, ex-Army Major Jack Reacher is minding his own business, walking past a dry cleaning shop in Chicago, when an attractive young woman emerges from the shop with nine bags of expensive clothes, a bad knee, and a crutch. She drops the crutch and Reacher jumps to her assistance. In the same moment, two armed kidnappers materialize and order Reacher and the woman into a waiting car.

As any crime fiction reader understands by now, Reacher could take these two thugs with no problem whatsoever. Unfortunately, there are a number of innocent bystanders who might be hurt if the kidnappers manage to get off any shots. Reacher makes this calculation and then follows the woman into the car and is taken along for the ride.

It turns out to be a very long ride in an Econoline van, all the way from Chicago to northwestern Montana, where a nutty but well-armed militia group is preparing to declare its independence from the United States. The kidnapped woman, Holly Johnson, is an FBI Special Agent. She is also the daughter of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the militia's psychopathic but charismatic leader intends to use her as a high profile hostage.

Under normal circumstances, Holly would be well-equipped to handle herself. She is one of the strongest female characters to appear in this series. But with her bum knee, which she injured in a soccer game, she could use a little help. Reacher, of course, is there to provide it, and he and Holly together will have to struggle mightily both to defend Holly's virtue and to prevent the militiamen from accomplishing thier objectives.

This is a fun read, and fans of the series certainly won't want to miss it. I'm giving it three stars rather than four because it requires more than just the usual suspension of disbelief. In the cold light of day, the whole plot is pretty implausible.

Also, it's clear that Lee Child did a lot of research for this book regarding the weaponry involved. And having done the research, he was apparently determined to use it all. There are a number of points in the book where the action slams to a halt while Child describes in exquisite detail the weapon in question. We then take several paragraphs to watch the powder ignite and the bullet slowly make its way through the barrel of the gun, out into the light of day and arc its way toward the target.

The first time this happens, it's kind of interesting and it does help to build the suspense. After that, you just want him to get on with it. Still, that's a relatively minor complaint, and inevitably, every series must have its weaker entries. To say that most of the Reacher novels are better than this one is not to suggest in any way that it's a bad book, but clearly at this point, Child was still working his way into what would become an excellent series....more

HelenI too noticed that Reacher's character wasn't as mature as it becomes over the series. He wore a watch, couldn't tell the time in his head and, worstI too noticed that Reacher's character wasn't as mature as it becomes over the series. He wore a watch, couldn't tell the time in his head and, worst of all considering he'd traveled round the globe, he took an age to figure out which direction they were heading in. Though one of my favorite bits of the series is in this book, he's thinking he can't escape and antagonise the baddies as it would put Holly in danger, yet Holly is thinking the exact same thing!...more
Aug 30, 2012 11:04AM

I'm going to add the same review for all of the Reacher series, so if you've read this one, you've read 'em all. If you feel a certain affinity for the lone hero, a man of principle, of unwavering knowledge and assent as to his own actions, than Jack Reacher's your kinda guy.

Lee Child has created an unforgettable and unique character in his creation of Jack Reacher. Jack seems to implicitly understand that he is a unique animal/human running around on this planet and that in spite of social conI'm going to add the same review for all of the Reacher series, so if you've read this one, you've read 'em all. If you feel a certain affinity for the lone hero, a man of principle, of unwavering knowledge and assent as to his own actions, than Jack Reacher's your kinda guy.

Lee Child has created an unforgettable and unique character in his creation of Jack Reacher. Jack seems to implicitly understand that he is a unique animal/human running around on this planet and that in spite of social conventions, cultural trappings, and whatever conventions and abstractions we allow into our mind in order to alleviate this core fact of our singularity (and aloneness)...the truth of it is not something Mr. Reacher denies.

He embraces it. Understands his philosophy implicitly, revels in his physical being,his conventions and values. He defends those he loves, those he does allow into his world, with a loyalty bar none while never letting go of the notion that he is alone and being perfectly comfortable with that.

I read one, and within two months read all 15 books with an appetite that couldn't get enough.

Jack Reacher is at again-- as Lee Child continues to develop this charactoer the more I like him. The quintessential American hero is taking shape-- and is almost a superman-- with every human trick up his sleeve-- Child gives a lot of facts in his novel as well --- most certainly ballistics and weaponry -- he makes some attempt at a love story but it is more of a hero worship love affair -- surrounded by his near super-heroic antics--still ya got a love a good action book and this one is nothinJack Reacher is at again-- as Lee Child continues to develop this charactoer the more I like him. The quintessential American hero is taking shape-- and is almost a superman-- with every human trick up his sleeve-- Child gives a lot of facts in his novel as well --- most certainly ballistics and weaponry -- he makes some attempt at a love story but it is more of a hero worship love affair -- surrounded by his near super-heroic antics--still ya got a love a good action book and this one is nothing short of excellent in that genre-- I hcw the 3rd in the series now -- and look forward to opening hte cover soon--very soon...more

This was so bad. I started out really enjoying this series, but I'm losing interest. It's disappointing.

The storyline was interesting with unique twists and turns but the minutiae was lame. Like having a love scene just after Holly & Reacher discover the dead body of the FBI spy who was discovered and was basically crucified by the 'bad guys'. It was tasteless and tacky. Plus, then when Holly is finally rescued from being kidnapped, instead of running to her Dad first she runs to Reacher. ThThis was so bad. I started out really enjoying this series, but I'm losing interest. It's disappointing.

The storyline was interesting with unique twists and turns but the minutiae was lame. Like having a love scene just after Holly & Reacher discover the dead body of the FBI spy who was discovered and was basically crucified by the 'bad guys'. It was tasteless and tacky. Plus, then when Holly is finally rescued from being kidnapped, instead of running to her Dad first she runs to Reacher. The clincher was at the very end when they kill the guy driving the car loaded with explosives and then Reacher & Holly say there goodbye as its come to fruition that Holly and her supervisor McGrath are in love with each other. So she leaves Reacher to go off with McGrath. And Reacher stays on the highway and hitchhikes to his next location.....

Plus, all the details of the bullets as they're moving/shooting and Reacher's ability to keep accurate time over a long time in his head is too much. The story dragged on and the ending was lame. ...more

A much better effort than the first novel, Killing Floor, which flows better overall due to the change in style from first person to third person and has a more interesting plot because of it. Not only that, but the fact that it was in the third person allowed for longer sentences, some even had more than 5 words in them. The author was making huge steps in that regard.

By no means was this a tour de force, it was a generic airport read if you will. Easy to get into, easy to read, easy to f7.5/10

A much better effort than the first novel, Killing Floor, which flows better overall due to the change in style from first person to third person and has a more interesting plot because of it. Not only that, but the fact that it was in the third person allowed for longer sentences, some even had more than 5 words in them. The author was making huge steps in that regard.

By no means was this a tour de force, it was a generic airport read if you will. Easy to get into, easy to read, easy to forget. I find if I don’t read this type of series in order I never know if I have previously read that specific novel. But at the same time I do enjoy the easy nature of them, I am a fan of action and my childhood hero was (read: is) Arnie meaning this sort of thing will always hit a soft spot with me. A lone hero who can’t do much wrong and always gets his man in the end. Witty one-liners optional.

The plot was relatively interesting with Reacher and a woman being locked up in a trailer transported who knows where in the first half. There was a bit of anticipation in the beginning as there was no reason on offer as to why the characters were locked up and where they were heading. Then, in the second half, some crazy “cult camp” action with a crazed leader trying to take over the world (well, small steps firs, just the USA). Because this was written in the third person the story could build around the main character and let other peripheral characters get a bit of page time and add a bit more depth to the novel. Not much mind, this is not an ocean. Think more like puddle in that regard.

Whilst never excelling this was a fairly strong read which made me more interested in reading on in the series, unlike the previous novel which left me teetering.

Worth a read for any requiring a pallet cleanser or a quick read in the action/thriller genre. By no means do you need to have read the first in the series.

If you like this try: “Commando” by 80’s generic action movie hero, Arnie....more

I tried & kept giving Child the benefit of the doubt, but just can't take it any more. Child has some great overall plots, interesting places & characters. He really got my hopes up with this one. The FBI part is well done. It's a shame they are all ruined by making Reacher a super hero in human form. Child never passes up any opportunity to make Reacher 'look good', but it keeps backfiring.

My breaking point came in a horse barn. (view spoiler)[The heroine just had her bad knee kicked aI tried & kept giving Child the benefit of the doubt, but just can't take it any more. Child has some great overall plots, interesting places & characters. He really got my hopes up with this one. The FBI part is well done. It's a shame they are all ruined by making Reacher a super hero in human form. Child never passes up any opportunity to make Reacher 'look good', but it keeps backfiring.

My breaking point came in a horse barn. (view spoiler)[The heroine just had her bad knee kicked a few times. Reacher just tore his chains from the wall. One of 3 bad guys is now dead - the driver. Does Reacher check his pockets for keys, like maybe to the van? Nope. What time is it? Dawn, right when his enemies would be at their lowest ebb - his favorite time. Does he think about scouting the area & going after them? Nope. He sits down & gets a big hug & thank yous from the heroine for saving her honor & the chapter ends with them blissfully consoling each other. Ever had a limb with a torn ligament knocked around even a little? Feel like cuddling afterward? I haven't. I wanted everyone to keep their damn distance. (hide spoiler)] Accepting just made Reacher look stupid. Time is wasting. Take care of business, have tender moments & take care of nerves afterward.

The shotgun was an issue again. If you're loading a shotgun for people, what do you put in it? Buckshot is likely. There's about 20 #4 shot in a 12 gauge shell, less if #00. (view spoiler)[The lightest shot might have 50, but we have 'hundreds of small holes' in the roof of a van after being shot at from 10'-15' with no big center hole. Anyone who has ever fired a shotgun at a board, tree, or car from fairly close wouldn't make that mistake. There are also enough shot scattered around that Reacher piles them up. (hide spoiler)] Hyperbole is allowed, idiocy though? No.

Then there was the bad guy. (view spoiler)[He is apparently the leader of a cult. What do all cult leaders have in common? They are charismatic. Child paints this guy like a cross between Bo Radley & Hannibal Lector. Who would follow such a person? Most would cross the street at the sight of him. And the guy is hiring people, then killing them, just to be evil, I guess. We're under the working assumption here that he laid his plans far enough ahead that he's had the heroine followed for at least a couple of weeks, but he has to hire a crew to gut a room & then kill them for fun? Why not his own people? Tearing out plaster & floor boards doesn't take skilled labor. (hide spoiler)] In a rural area where everyone knows everyone else's business? Hell, if it was in my neck of the woods, one of them would be the sheriff's brother or cousin. Guaranteed to get exactly the kind of notice a person doesn't want.

Nope, just can't take it any more. I'm done with Reacher. The movie was better than the books have been & I don't expect much from Hollywood. When a Tom Cruise movie is better than the book, then the book is drivel.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

EddieI thought the same thing about the "love scene". Poor decision.But I give a pass on The bad guy, I thought everyone loved him till they were in the coI thought the same thing about the "love scene". Poor decision.But I give a pass on The bad guy, I thought everyone loved him till they were in the compound by then everyone was too scared to cross him. (accept the true believers) You showed me how stupid that van rescue scene was, I guess Child just tricks me. I am still reading his books. On Personal now....more
Jan 30, 2015 12:04PM

The Reacher books overuse the words "right" and "ok." Seriously, it is extremely annoying. Go get the notebook ok? He looks like he's mad right? Every other piece of dialogue has the words "right" or "ok." Other than that, these books are decent. Typical action based shoot em up style books. Reacher is a badass and doesn't follow whatever rules or laws you have in place to govern your society. He's a loner, and doesn't like to be in any place for more than a few days. As far as I could tell fromThe Reacher books overuse the words "right" and "ok." Seriously, it is extremely annoying. Go get the notebook ok? He looks like he's mad right? Every other piece of dialogue has the words "right" or "ok." Other than that, these books are decent. Typical action based shoot em up style books. Reacher is a badass and doesn't follow whatever rules or laws you have in place to govern your society. He's a loner, and doesn't like to be in any place for more than a few days. As far as I could tell from book one, he doesn't like relationships, yet he falls pretty hard in this one. I don't know what it is about mysteries and thrillers with male leads that the author determines it's essential for the main character to have a new woman every story, but it happens, and it is happening in this series as well so far. Die Trying is about a group of militants in Montana that decide to hold an FBI agent hostage. That's pretty much it. It's extended over 400 pages with some extra filler added to the mix, but that's about as complex as it gets. There aren't any surprises here, and I didn't particularly feel the tension, but it was good enough to finish, and wasn't terrible.

That was a good review, right?I don't know, maybe you should stick to your day job, OK?Right....more

I am Jack Reacher's newest fan. My mother has read all of the books, so I am lagging behind, but having heard her speak about the character so often, I decided to try Lee Child's short story, "Deep Down". I was hooked Jack Reacher is a cross between 007, a Texas Ranger, and Dr. Kimble. He is loveable but deadly. After finishing the short story, I eagerly consumed the first two novels. Jack Reacher appears to always find himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. He is misunderstood by authoriI am Jack Reacher's newest fan. My mother has read all of the books, so I am lagging behind, but having heard her speak about the character so often, I decided to try Lee Child's short story, "Deep Down". I was hooked Jack Reacher is a cross between 007, a Texas Ranger, and Dr. Kimble. He is loveable but deadly. After finishing the short story, I eagerly consumed the first two novels. Jack Reacher appears to always find himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. He is misunderstood by authorities who seems to delight in contributing every bad deed to him, but that can't be as he works for the Angels. He is attracted to strong women, and so far he has found one in each story. It never lasts! The stories are fast paced, with some intense violence. Because I am seeing certain elements to these stories, I plan to read something different in between Jack Reacher novels, though I certainly plan to keep reading them. I like how Amazon lists the titles with the # behind it so I can read them all in order. If I were casting a Jack Reacher movie, my first pick would be Robbie Coltrane (no accent). If Mr. Coltrane was unavailable, Dennis Haysbert would do just fine, thank you very much!...more

Ok, let me get this off my chest, this is a very good novel, very, very good. We're talking Ian Fleming good. But there are two problems, though from the look of other reviews this might be a personal problem rather than a literary one. Decide for yourselves. The first problem is that Jack Reacher is billed as being a Arnold Schwarzenegger type character, a modern Conan the Barbarian (the novels not the movies, the literary version is very different to the film portrayals) or even Bernard CornwOk, let me get this off my chest, this is a very good novel, very, very good. We're talking Ian Fleming good. But there are two problems, though from the look of other reviews this might be a personal problem rather than a literary one. Decide for yourselves. The first problem is that Jack Reacher is billed as being a Arnold Schwarzenegger type character, a modern Conan the Barbarian (the novels not the movies, the literary version is very different to the film portrayals) or even Bernard Cornwell's SHARPE, (read em and you'll know what i mean and thank me for it, they're much better). Reacher is supposed to be a no nonsense, ex military, tough talking, hard hitting, kick arse son of a bitch that beats his way to the truth and takes no prisoners. But in reality he's more like Scherlock Holmes, he spends 80% of the novel thinking and analysing, which is good at first but goes against the character we've been led to believe we would be following. Very frustrating and quite frankly offputting. The second problem is Child's over anaylising. (Spoiler Alert) Half way through the book there is a sniping contest between Reacher and the big bad guy. Child sets up the scene perfectly, gets the two characters onto their bellies in front of their rifles and has them looking down their scopes at the target. BUT, and this is the bit that really pisses me off, from the moment their fingers touch the triggers to the point where they actually fire the gun, there is a TEN PAGE ESSAY ON SNIPING!!!!!!????? WTF?? Honestly, i swear to god, TEN PAGES of how to aim, load, and compensate for the curvature of the earth when firing over long distances. Its an action, thriller, we dont need THAT much information. For me, reading that, ruined this novel, and every time i pick up a Lee Child's novel, ill remember the agony of those Ten bloody pages and how offputting they were. Such a shame. Its almost like reading a novel by someone with autism and cant stop themselves over explaining every tiny piece of every bloody scene. Its like he doesnt trust his readers to understand what he's describing for them. Either that or he's trying to prove how intelligent he is to his peers....more

I'm trying to convince my boyfriend that reading is not boring, pointless, or just plain stupid, and so I'm on a quest to find him things to read that might change his mind. I have a feeling he may like Jack Reacher, so I'm going to re-read the series I think, just to make sure.

It's a tricky business - if I give him a book that doesn't beat his expectations, he may not make another attempt. I have to tread carefully.

Oh, and I can hear you thinking "why would you start with Die Trying, it's notI'm trying to convince my boyfriend that reading is not boring, pointless, or just plain stupid, and so I'm on a quest to find him things to read that might change his mind. I have a feeling he may like Jack Reacher, so I'm going to re-read the series I think, just to make sure.

It's a tricky business - if I give him a book that doesn't beat his expectations, he may not make another attempt. I have to tread carefully.

Oh, and I can hear you thinking "why would you start with Die Trying, it's not the first/best/shortest/easiest to read etc etc...?" - to which my answer is "hmmmm yes but it's all I have - for now"

Anyway, I remember really loving Jack, and Lee Child's style of writing, so even if my quest fails then at least I get to read some good "boy" books again.

Mark SooneI understand, I can't seem to convince my wife that reading is not boring, so I might not be the best one to try this:

If he is interested in WW II:GreI understand, I can't seem to convince my wife that reading is not boring, so I might not be the best one to try this:

If he is interested in WW II:Greg Iles- Black CrossJack Higgins- The eagle Has Landed

Westerns:Appaloosa by Robert Parker

Political Intrigue:Term Limits by Vince FlynnThe Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor (Unless Charley's Angels would be more up his alley then try The Athena Project by Thor)Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter (The movie SHOOTER was based upon this book)

STORY BRIEF:A group of neo-Nazi militants in Montana plan to attack something in America. They kidnap Holly off the street in Chicago. Holly is an FBI agent. Jack happens to be walking by when the kidnapping occurs, and the bad guys take him as well. Holly and Jack are tied up in the back of a van and being transported to Montana.

Jack was a major in the military police for 13 yeaFun, escapist entertainment, exciting adventure, mostly action and suspense. Rambo and Die Hard fans should like this.

STORY BRIEF:A group of neo-Nazi militants in Montana plan to attack something in America. They kidnap Holly off the street in Chicago. Holly is an FBI agent. Jack happens to be walking by when the kidnapping occurs, and the bad guys take him as well. Holly and Jack are tied up in the back of a van and being transported to Montana.

Jack was a major in the military police for 13 years. He retired 14 months ago at age 36. He likes to wander around America, taking odd jobs, living anonymously, no ID. He fights and kills bad guys without worrying about their civil rights. His fighting and shooting skills are almost superhuman.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:Several times I was saying “Oh come on, that would never happen!” But it was so exciting that I didn’t want to stop reading. If you don’t mind suspending disbelief and you enjoy Die Hard and Rambo type stories, you will like this.

The bad guy reminded me of James Bond megalomaniacs with his monologues and speeches. He intends to kill Jack, but he doesn’t do it right away, and that allows Jack to escape and do damage.

The author’s writing style could have been better. In some conversations he used X said, Y said, X said, Y said so many times that it was annoying. The author should be reminded that sometimes it’s ok to omit the “saids” when just two people are talking. The author also overused the word “shrugged.”

THE SERIES:This is book 2 in the Jack Reacher series. Although not required, I’d recommend reading book 1 “Killing Floor” first. I liked it better, gave it 4 ½ stars.

The bad guy has one woman hostage. The FBI asks him what he wants. He says have your eight marines sit on the edge of the ravine in a row so my riflemen can see them. FBI says ok and does that. Bad guy says if any of them move, they will be shot. Gee, now the bad guy has nine hostages instead of one.

The President didn’t want official military action for political reasons. So it was in the hands of the FBI. Why didn’t a bunch of FBI guys with weapons and hiking boots sneak into the hostage area? Instead four men wearing suits and dress shoes snuck in. One of them didn’t even have a weapon so he grabbed a rock. This was their rescue team?

The FBI guys believe a van is full of dynamite and headed for a major city as a bomb. Why don’t they put out an APB across the country for all local cops to be on the lookout? They said something about fearing mass panic. Ok, so how about using several government helicopters to search for the van? They use just one helicopter, and one guy guesses where the van may be headed, and they search. The White House didn’t want military action against “survivalist communities,” but this was different. It was one guy with a bomb. They knew where he was driving from; they just didn’t know where he was driving to. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

JacquelineThis was the first Reacher that I read. My boss at the bookstore handed it to me with a "you've got to read this." You're right, I just go into them pThis was the first Reacher that I read. My boss at the bookstore handed it to me with a "you've got to read this." You're right, I just go into them pretty much ready to accept anything as possible. There is only one that I totally couldn't buy into. Nothing to Lose I bet you'll agree with me when you get there....more
Dec 02, 2011 06:07AM

Jane StewartI'm planning on skipping that one thanks to you, unless I'm really hard up and want a Jack fix. Who knows. I'm really enjoying the way he keeps me gluI'm planning on skipping that one thanks to you, unless I'm really hard up and want a Jack fix. Who knows. I'm really enjoying the way he keeps me glued in.

3.75 stars. Great premise, gang kidnapped just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Jack Reacher isn't a bad guy to have with you in a tight spot. Holly Johnson sounds like a cool, tough agent.

In some ways, I liked this story better than the first one. Jack Reacher is one of the only series that I listen to, even though it's good enough to read!

Likes:* Multiple story lines depicting actions in 3 different places* FBI Agent Holly Johnson being smart, tough, well-dressed, pretty and3.75 stars. Great premise, gang kidnapped just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Jack Reacher isn't a bad guy to have with you in a tight spot. Holly Johnson sounds like a cool, tough agent.

In some ways, I liked this story better than the first one. Jack Reacher is one of the only series that I listen to, even though it's good enough to read!

Likes:* Multiple story lines depicting actions in 3 different places* FBI Agent Holly Johnson being smart, tough, well-dressed, pretty and able to protect herself* Good plot twists* McGrath seemed like a good guy* Can't decide if Jack Reacher being so amazing is a great thing or too unbelievable and should be toned down...leaning toward liking it(view spoiler)[* Betrayal was very well done* General Garber Reacher's old CO was cool* McGrath and Reacher's meeting* Webster, FBI Chief, General Johnston, Holly's father and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and 3 Chicago FBI agents were a team with lots of chiefs and few indians* Mobile command post* All the bad guys demises were cheer-worthy(hide spoiler)]

Dislikes:* abatis is misused in the book, though I liked the book's concept, the definition is to fell a tree and sharpen the branches toward the enemy and is especially useful against mounted forces* Sniper, shooting and tactical analysis might get old, but I didn't mind it(view spoiler)[* I really liked the story until the conspiracy theory militia started spouting their view points (and then I was glad I was listening to the book and not reading)* Doubtful that Holly could walk much less hike in a mile after the driver kicked her knee repeatedly where there was an audible crunch* Minor things that didn't seem right:- Did they check to see if any other surveillance camera had a view of the kidnapping?- Is it better to stay and help or get away and call for help?- If the security camera data was on disk, not tape, when you ran it upstairs, unplugging it would've lost their place, but they are now so rarely on tape, so it was accurate but it bothered me. Do they really have systems that save a snapshot every 10 seconds to tape? - Why didn't Jack interrogate the driver instead of just killing him? Too much noise? Jack kills other people instead of trying to get information.- Can you really shoot a "B" into a tree with 6 bullets?- Expected satellite coverage to see into the camp, so I was glad when the surveillance planes showed up* Making love in the forest next to a tortured dead man was creepy* And I did wonder about safe sex...of course, pregnancy is probably not an issue if you think you are going to die at any minute* Crawling through narrowing tunnel with rats made me claustrophobic, but I was annoyed that he did it twice* Being the President's godchild didn't seem to be a very big deal and her father being Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was a big enough thing, I almost kept expecting more(hide spoiler)]

While I found this book entertaining, I remember now why I hadn't picked it up sooner -- because I read the first book in the series and didn't care for it much. I find the writing style annoying. The choppy sentence fragments are bad enough. The long strings of descriptive synonyms just about drove me spare. In an industry which pays by the word, I can't believe some editor did not put her foot down and cut out some of those redundant descriptors. The characters also all seem mildly retarded beWhile I found this book entertaining, I remember now why I hadn't picked it up sooner -- because I read the first book in the series and didn't care for it much. I find the writing style annoying. The choppy sentence fragments are bad enough. The long strings of descriptive synonyms just about drove me spare. In an industry which pays by the word, I can't believe some editor did not put her foot down and cut out some of those redundant descriptors. The characters also all seem mildly retarded because they all speak the same way and take forever to come to the most obvious conclusions.

I like Jack Reacher. I like the idea of Jack Reacher, at least. But reading these books just reminds me of middle school English class when we had to correct each other's papers. The kid that sat next to me wrote just like Lee Child. ...more

Okay, fair warning: I hate thrillers. No, hate is not too strong of a word. HATE. Then why did I read this book? Because Lee Childs wrote this brilliant column for the NYT http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/... Draft column. So I thought I should read one of his books. And yes, this guy can create suspense - I spent all day reading this book. The characters are not believable but they are incredibly well constructed to work with the plot. And the plot is flawless. I mean, he throws every obstaOkay, fair warning: I hate thrillers. No, hate is not too strong of a word. HATE. Then why did I read this book? Because Lee Childs wrote this brilliant column for the NYT http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/... Draft column. So I thought I should read one of his books. And yes, this guy can create suspense - I spent all day reading this book. The characters are not believable but they are incredibly well constructed to work with the plot. And the plot is flawless. I mean, he throws every obstacle you can imagine at this characters - and there is nary a plot hole. While I literally hated (again with the hate Jen) (sorry) reading the book (violent, huge amount of time spent describing guns, the mind numbingly boring prose), what a great education in narrative tension and making your story fit tightly together. Every scene drives the story forward, every bit of information is used at some point in the story, every known facet of the characters (of which there are few) is also used. I'm glad I forced myself to read this....more

Like many action novels one has to suspend belief so certain plot twists can occur. In the first Reacher novel there was the coincidence with his brother's investigation. That was ok for me. I enjoyed the story, the plot twists and discovering a new character that seemed to have interesting potential. I wanted to like this novel and I'll probably give the third one a try but not for a while. There were too many incongruities for me. Bad guys who burn innocents in the trunks of cars and kill theiLike many action novels one has to suspend belief so certain plot twists can occur. In the first Reacher novel there was the coincidence with his brother's investigation. That was ok for me. I enjoyed the story, the plot twists and discovering a new character that seemed to have interesting potential. I wanted to like this novel and I'll probably give the third one a try but not for a while. There were too many incongruities for me. Bad guys who burn innocents in the trunks of cars and kill their best friends inexplicably leave Reacher alive and mostly unharmed. A woman with a knee freshly operated on has it kicked and stomped on but is up hobbling about fairly quickly. These bad guys were just idiots and even more unbelievable was that Reacher didn't take them all out sooner. The ending was pretty abrupt and also unbelievable. After all that has happened Reacher is left on the side of the highway to hitch hike off into the sunset? He could have awoken fresh from a dream for all the impact and consequence.

The writing style reminds me of a screen play and I could see this as a film our TV series. The action scenes are written well and I like the way the story crosses genres, thriller/military/detective/action. Its a quick read and the series seems to have much potential. ...more

We were hardly the first to become enamored with Lee Child's new thriller hero Jack Reacher, an ex-military police investigator extraordinaire who beat all odds in his debut in "Killing Floor". He's back in his sophomore outing, and every bit as tough, smart, and determined to save the day as before. This time he's just being a Good Samaritan to an injured woman struggling with her dry cleaning when the two of them are captured by what turns ou2nd complicated Jack Reacher thriller is a pleaser !

We were hardly the first to become enamored with Lee Child's new thriller hero Jack Reacher, an ex-military police investigator extraordinaire who beat all odds in his debut in "Killing Floor". He's back in his sophomore outing, and every bit as tough, smart, and determined to save the day as before. This time he's just being a Good Samaritan to an injured woman struggling with her dry cleaning when the two of them are captured by what turns out to be one of those fanatical Montana freedom-or-die militia outfits. The woman, Holly Johnson, a sophisticated FBI agent specializing in white collar crime soon turns out to be almost as gritty as Jack as they are forced to ride for days in a dark panel truck to some unknown destination, held captive each night. That Holly is the daughter of the Joint Chief of Staff seems to be the hostage taker's motive, and before it's over, the FBI, the Marines, and Jack's good ol' ex-boss General Garber are all in on the militia attack. Who will have the final say in life or death is never much in doubt, but there were several times where our leading characters could have been offed, contributing to the non-stop suspense we already expect of Child. We'll also forgive some romantic hijinks 'tween Jack and Holly, although even that development matured to a surprising outcome

With rapidly turning pages and a complicated plot til nearly the last page, we were thoroughly entertained and engaged. Our only quibble might be that Reacher might be like a cat and get "9 lives", but it seems he used every one of them in this tale. We can't wait to dig into the rest of the Child/Reacher series! ...more

While I still really liked the book, it did seem pretty long. Some of the descriptions of guns and trajectory and calculation were a bit long. Not quite as good as the first book, but still entertaining. Totally related to his first, terrifying crawl under the mountain where he thought he was stuck. I liked all the conspiracy theories. Cars do have tracking devices - onSTAR. I read that soldiers were getting implanted tracking chips so if a plane went down, they could be found. Then talk of puttWhile I still really liked the book, it did seem pretty long. Some of the descriptions of guns and trajectory and calculation were a bit long. Not quite as good as the first book, but still entertaining. Totally related to his first, terrifying crawl under the mountain where he thought he was stuck. I liked all the conspiracy theories. Cars do have tracking devices - onSTAR. I read that soldiers were getting implanted tracking chips so if a plane went down, they could be found. Then talk of putting it in old people so if they were hurt, response time could be quick. Next will be children so if they're kidnapped we can find them. We already do it to our pets. They make it sound so reasonable, and for our safety! We all know we can be tracked by our phone. I always think of Princess Amadala in the senate hearing. She questions, "How is our liberty taken from us? With thunderous applause." This is not a quote, just a recollection.

I did pay attention to his description: 6'5"' blue eyes, thinning fair hair. STILL not Tom Cruz....more

Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is back in Lee Child’s second instalment “Die Trying”. Following on from his first novel and critically acclaimed “Killing Floor” Child is not only back on form but is better than ever!

In the “Killing Floor”, Jack Reacher stumbles upon a web of corruption, murder and money laundering. Unable to escape due to corruption at the highest level of the local police Reacher is hell-bent on proving his innocence and bringing those guilty to his own unique level of justEx-military policeman Jack Reacher is back in Lee Child’s second instalment “Die Trying”. Following on from his first novel and critically acclaimed “Killing Floor” Child is not only back on form but is better than ever!

In the “Killing Floor”, Jack Reacher stumbles upon a web of corruption, murder and money laundering. Unable to escape due to corruption at the highest level of the local police Reacher is hell-bent on proving his innocence and bringing those guilty to his own unique level of justice.

Similarly in “Die Trying” Reacher is minding his own business when he walks past a small dry cleaners in Chicago and bumps into Holly Johnson, an attractive FBI agent new to the agency. Holly, recovering from a knee injury sustained while playing soccer, stumbles and Reacher is on hand to stop her from falling. At that very moment the pair are hurried into a waiting car, kidnapped at gunpoint and taken far away.

This was a fantastic book but I must be honest to a certain extent. I'll do my best to describe this without spoiling it. So at the halfway point if not a little be passed it I would have bet a million that it would end up a Waco/standoff/cult like 2nd half. 1. I was wrong. 2. I thought it might have been jazzed up by having you know who go Rambo, not needed and not the case 3. I was way wrong.

At about the 60% complete range it started to get predictable, I was a solid 3 star's at that point asThis was a fantastic book but I must be honest to a certain extent. I'll do my best to describe this without spoiling it. So at the halfway point if not a little be passed it I would have bet a million that it would end up a Waco/standoff/cult like 2nd half. 1. I was wrong. 2. I thought it might have been jazzed up by having you know who go Rambo, not needed and not the case 3. I was way wrong.

At about the 60% complete range it started to get predictable, I was a solid 3 star's at that point as well. After finishing this book I don't even remember the halfway point. So much happened in the 2nd half of this novel that by the time of the ending and seeing how they "confirm" the automobile (lol I said I would try to not give anything away) I had completely forgot about it. I think this was a great thriller and as someone that reloads/casts bullets etc. I appreciated the authenticity of the firearms and said lingo (that's why I'm a huge Stephen Hunter fan btw). I wouldn't go as far to say that this is a favorite because it's leveled off and any book I deem a favorite of mine means that from page 1 to the end I was no less a 5. I mean even books that are not so good until the end can still leave you intrigued throughout, I seriously thought I had this book pegged at the halfway point. I will also say that I've never been so glad to be proven wrong. If you enjoyed the first, ignore the book description it does describe anything, read this. Also, finish the entire thing as well ;).

The "damsel in distress" was capable, but crippled by a sports injury This is lame, pardon the pun. Three things grow from this and none of them are good. 1)She appears to be helpless and reliant on the men in her life (love triangle, btw) 2)Her apparent strengths are muted, therefore outside of one heroic moment that confuses the heck out of me, she failed to show her charisma, training aWhy isn't he dead? That is what I kept thinking.

High stakes thriller. Things that kept bothering me, though:

The "damsel in distress" was capable, but crippled by a sports injury This is lame, pardon the pun. Three things grow from this and none of them are good. 1)She appears to be helpless and reliant on the men in her life (love triangle, btw) 2)Her apparent strengths are muted, therefore outside of one heroic moment that confuses the heck out of me, she failed to show her charisma, training and skills 3)Her role is reduced to waiting for someone to "save" her

The long descriptions of the simple mechanism of firing a sniper rifle was offset by the brevity of much of the other description. It felt unbalanced and odd. Incomplete sentences are used for effect, however, long, run-on sentences flourish when Child wants to discuss how a gun works. Honestly, I have read Stephen Hunter and even to some extent Tom Clancy and they both do a better job.

Several dialogue cues were attributed to the wrong person.

Several dialogue nuances irritated me. Some of these may be attributed to dialect, but three different people with differing backgrounds and generations used the same expression: "Hell you doing?" This was repeated at least 6 times. Two times by Holly, once by Reacher, once by Beau, and once by one of Beau's lackeys. I think McGrath repeated once as well. Should it not be, "What the hell are you doing?"

Many of the plot elements were obvious and contrived. The second time Reacher tried to escape and got caught, he should have been shot on the spot. That he survived long enough to once again overpower them, and kill without being shot himself pushed the boundaries of my imagination.

The lack of insight the main characters had regarding the mole was astounding. I thought it was easy to figure out. If you have learned that you have a mole, all trust and reliance on your colleagues would go right out the window. I had it figured out as soon as the information was leaked. Actually, I saw it coming when Child foreshadowed it early on: THREE TIMES!

I don't want to be too harsh. The writing is not horrible. It is a cut above Patterson but much inferior to Cussler, Elmore Leonard, Stephen Hunter, John Le Carre, and Robert Ludlum. I will read a couple more and them I want to try another popular thriller writer, Vince Flynn. I have heard a lot of great things about him....more

It was good overall, not great or superb by any means. After Killing Floor's full-on first person narrative, I didn't much care for the always shifting third person narration from multitude of viewpoints. And that's another problem for me, there were way too many characters who shared the same amount of detailing and focus, so much so that Jack Reacher himself had almost gotten reduced to a supporting character in his own series!

The first part was good, but as we discover our main antagonists aIt was good overall, not great or superb by any means. After Killing Floor's full-on first person narrative, I didn't much care for the always shifting third person narration from multitude of viewpoints. And that's another problem for me, there were way too many characters who shared the same amount of detailing and focus, so much so that Jack Reacher himself had almost gotten reduced to a supporting character in his own series!

The first part was good, but as we discover our main antagonists and whats going on (which was a big Meh for me), the middle part really dragged until the pace with action & suspense picked up considerably in the final part that was basically the saving grace for the book. Overall a sometimes really entertaining, sometimes totally frustrating read for me. I've said about Killing Floor, I'll say now too, these books absolutely does NOT need 550+ pages for the scope of the stories they're telling. Child has a tendency to over analyze EVERY. SINGLE. LITTLE. DETAIL which can certainly be fun if applying correctly, but it also makes the story came to almost a halt in the middle parts. I firmly believe reducing atleast a 100 page would make the plot much MUCH tighter and smoother. But I'll also say this, Lee Child is an exceptional writer, his writing style is so effortless and easygoing with a strong no-nonsense vibe that even when the story drags, the reader (like me) just can't help but to read on. Plus his Jack Reacher is a strong and interesting character with an old school Clint Eastwood, John Wayne or even Schwarzenegger-type "high n mighty" heroism in him that makes the reader very comfortable and which today's ultra-modern, "dark, gritty & complex" protagonists sorely lack.

Although this book certainly had its problems and inconsistencies, I still reward it 4 stars (well 3.5 more accurately), mostly because Child gave a valiant effort to make the plot fantastically thrilling in the third act and there were some good interesting supporting characters, but mainly because however shorter screentime Reacher got here compared to Killing Floor, he made each & every move count, he never hesitates to pull the figurative (and literal) trigger when necessary, and he NEVER MISSES! So yeah, I love this guy. ...more

I read this immediately following the first novel in the series, Killing Floor. The first thing I noticed was the first person narrative of the first book was gone. What became apparent the more I read was that Lee Child’s sophomore effort suffers because of it. The short, choppy writing style felt natural written in the first person. It fit Jack Reacher’s character perfectly. From a third person perspective it comes across, well, short and choppy. And annoying. All the characters speak in the sI read this immediately following the first novel in the series, Killing Floor. The first thing I noticed was the first person narrative of the first book was gone. What became apparent the more I read was that Lee Child’s sophomore effort suffers because of it. The short, choppy writing style felt natural written in the first person. It fit Jack Reacher’s character perfectly. From a third person perspective it comes across, well, short and choppy. And annoying. All the characters speak in the same voice; if you were to read the dialogue without seeing who was supposed to be speaking, you wouldn’t be able to discern who was who. Extreme overuse of OK and right. As in: It gets annoying real quick, right? Makes me want to punch babies, OK? Also a lot of question marks where question marks aren’t needed? Back to the plot, right?

The plot. It didn’t hold my attention. Coming off of the first book it was a letdown, right? I had to force myself to turn the pages, OK? If it weren’t for my enjoyment of the first book and the fact that this series has been highly recommended to me by many people, I wouldn’t read the next one. Jack Reacher is in the wrong place at the wrong time yet again. Good soldier that he is, he helps a woman on crutches with her dry cleaning just as she’s about to get kidnapped. Reacher and Holly Johnson are handcuffed together for an unknown reason and headed to an unknown location. ...more

Close to 600 pages in an almost 4 - hour sitting, that's how easy it was to read this work. I'm not impressed by anything it had to offer, starting with the character it builds upon and ending with the writing. It's bland, simple and puts too much emphasis on technicalities, as if the author decided more detail about the kind of rounds a Glock 17 fires would make for a fluffier book. I can recognize the winning patter here: it is highly readable, suitable for any kind of consumer and frankly, juClose to 600 pages in an almost 4 - hour sitting, that's how easy it was to read this work. I'm not impressed by anything it had to offer, starting with the character it builds upon and ending with the writing. It's bland, simple and puts too much emphasis on technicalities, as if the author decided more detail about the kind of rounds a Glock 17 fires would make for a fluffier book. I can recognize the winning patter here: it is highly readable, suitable for any kind of consumer and frankly, just good enough to be a worthy filler in between a serious reader's other projects. Therefore, it's good in its own category, but doesn't amount to much in grander terms. ...more

This is Book #2 in Child's Jack Reacher series. I read the first one, "Killing Floor" earlier this year. This time Reacher is abducted by accident when he tries to help a woman when she trips coming out of a dry cleaning establishment. It turns out her father is the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Holly Johnson is going to become the pawn of a militia group determined to overthrow the U.S. Government by force and violence.

It's a good story, but the first third to half of it covers the vanThis is Book #2 in Child's Jack Reacher series. I read the first one, "Killing Floor" earlier this year. This time Reacher is abducted by accident when he tries to help a woman when she trips coming out of a dry cleaning establishment. It turns out her father is the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Holly Johnson is going to become the pawn of a militia group determined to overthrow the U.S. Government by force and violence.

It's a good story, but the first third to half of it covers the van in which Reacher and Holly have been abducted and its very long ride to wherever they are being taken (a Ruby Ridge sort of encampment in Montana). The last half to 2/3 is escaping, recapture, re-escaping, and the government's attempt to rescue them. If you like learning every single minute detail about guns, ammunition, other weapons, and what goes into the firing of a weapon -- in exhaustive detail -- is this ever the book for you. But if you'd just rather get on with the story, you might want to skip over this one and try Child's third Reacher book, "Trip Wire," which will probably be my next audio book.

I'm not giving up on Jack Reacher, but I sure don't want to hear another word about a gun...or many, many types of guns...ever, ever again....more

Die Trying is the second novel in Lee Child's series featuring Jack Reacher, former member of the United States Army Special Forces and the most bad-ass wanderer and hero of present-day suspense novels.

Speak of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; Jack Reacher is wandering the streets of Chicago when his chivalry takes over to prevent a woman in crutches from falling down. Seconds later, Reacher and the woman are kidnapped at gunpoint and thrown in the trunk of a car. Reacher soon learnsDie Trying is the second novel in Lee Child's series featuring Jack Reacher, former member of the United States Army Special Forces and the most bad-ass wanderer and hero of present-day suspense novels.

Speak of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; Jack Reacher is wandering the streets of Chicago when his chivalry takes over to prevent a woman in crutches from falling down. Seconds later, Reacher and the woman are kidnapped at gunpoint and thrown in the trunk of a car. Reacher soon learns that the woman, Holly Johnson, is actually an FBI agent with a prominent father and that she is being held ransom at the hands of a militia group with nutsy views and demands. On the brink of being murdered, Reacher must fight back to save his own life and the lives of other innocents.

Whereas Killing Floor was written in the first-person from Reacher's point of view, Die Trying is written in the third-person and flips back and forth between Holly and Reacher's kidnapping situation and the FBI office in Chicago. Die Trying takes place within the span of just a few days and is suspenseful all the way through, making for a fast read. Reacher's survival and thinking techniques are duly fascinating, especially in regards to the numerous skills he acquired while serving in the military. While Lee Child's writing style rivals that of Jeffery Deaver in regards to plot twists and red herrings, Jack Reacher is unmatched as a hero; he is sincerely one of the most provoking characters in suspense novels today.

Another facet I love about the first two Reacher books is that the romance factor takes a backseat to action and suspense. It bothers me at times how mass-market novels insist on appealing to well, yes, the masses, but if I want romance, I know where to find it -- in the romance genre. Reacher is no-nonsense and all about the business of surviving and beating the bad guys -- this, I would say, is Child's ability to "show" instead of "tell" some of us female readers just how sexy Reacher is as a character.

It is thrilling to know that at this time, there are FOURTEEN more Reacher novels to relish in before I'm caught up on the series. I'm very excited to continue! The 3rd, 4th, and 5th books in the Reacher series are Tripwire (1999), Running Blind (2000) and Echo Burning (2001).

Lee Child was born October 29th, 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a prLee Child was born October 29th, 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV's "golden age." During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars' worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.

Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.

Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.

Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise. ...more

“I had a teacher once, grade school somewhere. Philippines, I think, because she always wore a big white hat. So it was somewhere hot. I was always twice the size of the other kids, and she used to say to me: count to ten before you get mad, Reacher. And I've counted way past ten on this one. Way past.”
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“People, Reacher was certain about. Dogs were different. People had freedom of choice. If a man or a woman ran snarling toward him, they did so because they chose to. They were asking for whatever they got. His response was their problem. But dogs were different. No free will. Easily misled. It raised an ethical problem. Shooting a dog because it had been induced to do something unwise was not the sort of thing Reacher wanted to do.”
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